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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union, U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals: Final Score 1-0 as Lions’ Cup Run Falls Short

Orlando City conceded an early goal and just had no legs for the attack.

Published

7 years ago

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Deon Cooper, The Mane Land

Orlando City’s bid to go deeper in the U.S. Open Cup than ever before fell short as tired legs, a flight to the Northeast, and an early goal off a set piece were ultimately too much to overcome. The Philadelphia Union eliminated the Lions 1-0 at Talen Energy Stadium in a quarterfinal matchup on a fourth-minute goal by Alejandro Bedoya and Orlando really didn’t threaten Andre Blake’s net a whole lot on the night.

The Lions bow out in the quarterfinals for the third time in team history. The Union reach the semifinals for the fourth time in their history.

James O’Connor sent out a pretty strong lineup that included the Orlando City debut of center back Shane O’Neill, and the 24-year-old was one of Orlando’s few bright spots on the night.

It didn’t take long for Philadelphia to get on the scoreboard, even though Orlando had the first couple of attacks through Mohamed El-Munir crosses that didn’t quite find the target. The Union earned a corner in the fourth minute and took it short to Haris Medunjanin. His cross found a wide-open Fafa Picault in the area but Earl Edwards Jr. rejected his shot, which unfortunately fell perfectly for Bedoya to fire into the top of the net to make it 1-0.

Philadelphia kept pressing at every opportunity, working the ball quickly to take advantage of tired Orlando City legs. Medunjanin fired over the bar in the 12th minute, and a minute later the Lions got their first look at goal when Will Johnson’s long-range effort sailed just over the bar.

The Union should have doubled the lead in the 16th minute when Keegan Rosenberry’s cross was dummied by David Accam and skipped through the box for Borek Dockal, who was robbed by Edwards.

Two minutes later, Accam fired just wide off a quick set piece that caught the Lions flat-footed. As Philadelphia kept coming, O’Neill made an outstanding play to out-duel Cory Burke in a 1-v-1 situation and won the ball back deep in his own penalty area.

The Lions’ best opportunity of the half came in the 21st minute when Chris Mueller’s cross found Josué Colmán at the far side of the area. The Paraguayan’s shot was deflected out for a corner and Blake may have gotten a piece of that to keep it out.

Orlando City’s attacks were few and far between and just not sharp enough. Mueller did well to find Johnson in the area in the 31st minute, but the Canadian rushed a weak shot toward the back post that Blake easily scooped up. Two minutes later, Amro Tarek headed a free kick cross from Mueller well over the goal.

Edwards made a diving stop on Burke in the 34th minute as the Union continued trying to use their speed down the wings to get around the City defense. Three minutes later, Uri Rosell’s cross found the head of Johnson and Blake tipped it over the bar with a good reaction save on a shot that may have been going high anyway.

The Union got the last good look of the half in the 43rd when Dockal was left alone in the box for the second time and this time he flubbed his shot, sending it way over the crossbar.

Philadelphia held 55% of the first-half possession and out-shot the Lions, 9-7 (5-3 on target), but realistically the Union had much better scoring chances with their shots than Orlando did. The Union held an 83%-81% advantage in passing accuracy.

The second half wasn’t much different from the first. O’Connor sent Dillon Powers on at the break for Mueller, presumably to save something of the rookie’s legs for Saturday night’s match in Columbus.

A shot over the net in the 49th minute by Johnson was one of Orlando’s few looks at goal in the second period as the Union further sapped what little was left of the Lions’ energy.

Edwards was forced to make a good save on Burke in the 52nd minute to keep it a one-goal game.

Blake nearly got caught with a heavy touch as Dwyer came charging at him in the 55th, but the Jamaican goalkeeper made a slick move to step around the Orlando striker on a play that could have ended up embarrassing the hosts. Three minutes later, Dwyer nearly got onto a deflected Colmán cross that was just a bit off line, allowing Blake to catch it.

Nothing much happened over the next 10 minutes except for a couple of substitutions by each team, with O’Connor bringing on Stefano Pinho and Cam Lindley, and withdrawing Colmán and Rosell.

Philadelphia started to grab more and more control of the game over the final 20 minutes, winning every ball forward, reading plays and stepping in front of Orlando City players, and generally keeping the ball away. Picault nearly had an insurance goal in the 80th minute but fired just inches wide of the far post from the left side.

Two minutes later, Orlando got its best opportunity of the second half as Pinho slid a ball across the top of the area for Sacha Kljestan, but the ball was a bit off line and all he could do was send it meekly at Blake. Perhaps Kljestan should have done better, but just a little better service may well have seen the game level in the 82nd minute.

From there, the game mostly consisted of Philadelphia shots from distance that Edwards parried away. After Dockal shot wide in the 83rd, Edwards made a good save on second-half sub C.J. Sapong in the 88th and Bedoya in the 90th.

Orlando could do nothing but boot the ball up the field and watch Philadelphia take possession in the final five minutes of regulation and four minutes of injury time.

The Union ended up with 54% of the possession and a 19-10 advantage in shots (9-4 on target), completing 84% of their passes to Orlando’s 81%.

The Lions are now 11-8-2 all-time in the U.S. Open Cup, advancing on penalties after both draws (2015 and 2018).

The Lions will be back in action on Saturday night, playing their third game in eight days — and second on the road — when they face the Columbus Crew at 7:30 p.m.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/23/25

The Orlando Pride drop, OCSC Academy awards, USMNT characters, and more.

Published

19 hours ago

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April 23, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. This weekend we have the most convenient schedule, with the Orlando Pride playing Friday night, Orlando City on Saturday night, and Orlando City B on Sunday night. It’s nice knowing what I’ll be doing each night. Now, I just need all three teams to get back on the winning side of things. Until then, let’s get to the links.

Bad Pride, Good Pride

It might have been the dumbest way to lose a match against the Washington Spirit, but — actually nevermind, there is no “but” about it. We can, however, decide to move forward rather than dwell on it after today. Unsurprisingly, the Pride dropped in the all-knowing power rankings. All for XI only dropped the Pride one spot to No. 2 since everyone has a bad day now and again. The CBS power ranking dropped the team to No. 3. That was the “bad.” The “good” is that we can revisit the puppies that showed up at Inter&Co Stadium. The loss still hurts, but it’s hard to stay mad after looking at the puppies.

The (OCSC) Academy Awards

Assuming you read Lion Links on Monday morning (or listened to The Mane Land PawedCast this week) you know that the Orlando City SC Academy U-18 team won the Generation Adidas Cup. Now we know that three of the very young Lions — Gustavo Caraballo, Jackson Platts, and Justin Ellis — were named to the U18 Best XI. Additionally, Caraballo and Ellis earned MVP and Top Scorer awards, respectively. It was truly the bright spot of an otherwise forgettable weekend.

Pochettino Prepares

The USMNT did not do well in the Concacaf Nations League, falling to Panama and then Canada in the third place match. Now, U.S. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has to prepare the team for the Gold Cup. Pochettino said that he needs the “right characters” on the squad, whether they are the most talented or not. He also spoke of the need for the players to fight for the badge and the flag. Former USMNT coach Bruce Arena said Pochettino may not be the right man for the job because he’s not an American. The USMNT’s next matches are friendlies against Turkiye and Switzerland on June 7 and June 10, respectively.

MLS Transfer News

The Columbus Crew are making moves. The club received $250,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) from the Houston Dynamo in exchange for a 2025 international roster slot. The club then sent DeJuan Jones to the San Jose Earthquakes for $425,000 in GAM and a 2025 international roster slot. Elsewhere, Sporting Kansas City acquired forward Santiago Muñoz on loan from Liga MX side Santos Laguna.

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That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the full slate of matches coming up.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/22/25

Pedro Gallese earns recognition, Americans in midweek action, English promotion update, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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April 22, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Well it wasn’t the worst weekend that Orlando soccer has ever had, but it certainly wasn’t the best either. Fortunately, all three of Orlando’s teams will be back in action soon, so there’s no need to dwell on the past too much. Let’s take a moment to wish a happy birthday to the Orlando Pride’s Brianna Martinez, as well as to Kaká! Now, it’s time to turn our attention to today’s links.

Pedro Gallese Earns Weekly Recognition

Pedro Gallese kept a third clean sheet in a row and Orlando City’s third clean sheet of the year in the team’s scoreless draw on the road against CF Montreal. In recognition of his efforts during the match, Gallese was named to the bench of the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. El Pulpo made six saves to blank a Montreal team that intently searched for a breakthrough, and made a couple of truly excellent second half stops that kept the score level. Congrats to Pedro and keep up the good work!

Americans in Midweek Action

A number of Americans will be playing games during the working week, and there are some big matches to keep an eye on. The main event is on Wednesday, when Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan face Inter Milan in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal, which is tied 1-1 after the first leg. Also on Wednesday, Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace will play Arsenal in the Premier League. Thursday then has Malik Tillman, Richy Ledezma, and PSV Eindhoven playing FC Twente in the Eredivisie, while Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis play Valladolid in La Liga action.

English Promotion Update

Following results in the EFL Championship on Monday, Leeds United and Burnley have both secured promotion to the Premier League for next season. Both teams won their respective games and are each on 94 points, and with just two matches left, third-placed Sheffield United has no way to catch them. The other promoted side will be determined after the promotion playoffs, which would feature Sheffield United, Sunderland, Bristol City, and Coventry City if the season ended today. Meanwhile in League One, Wrexham’s 2-1 victory over Blackpool meant the Dragons retook second place and the automatic promotion spot that comes with it. If they beat Charlton on Sunday and Wycombe Wanderers drop points against Leyton Orient, then Wrexham would secure promotion to the Championship.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Transfer rumors continue to fly thick and fast as we approach the business end of most European seasons, so let’s take a look at a few items worth catching up on. Manchester United is said to be keen on signing 17-year-old Argentine Franco Mastantuono from River Plate. Liverpool is reportedly interested in signing winger Ademola Lookman from Atalanta, although the Reds would likely face competition from several other Premier League teams. Finally, Bayer Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro has revealed that he and Xabi Alonso have a gentleman’s agreement that if a team the Spaniard used to play for is interested in hiring him as its coach, then the club will not hinder the process. The statement has led to renewed speculation that Alonso will be named Real Madrid coach if Carlo Ancelotti leaves in the summer.

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That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Orlando City’s Focus On Youth Development Showing In The First Team

Orlando City is seeing more and more players promoted from the academy, through OCB, and into the first team.

Published

3 days ago

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April 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City began its academy in the USL Pro days with the goal of developing players for the first team. It took nearly a decade to begin seeing youth development bear fruit, but it’s becoming apparent early in the 2025 season.

Prior to 2019, Orlando City signed four players to Homegrown Player contracts. Tommy Redding, Tyler Turner, and Harrison Heath never played in the academy and the other, Mason Stajduhar, developed primarily at Chargers Soccer Club in Tampa.

Orlando City signed arguably its first true Homegrown Player when the club inked Benji Michel to a first-team contract. The following off-season, the Lions added David Loera and Jordan Bender. Mikey Halliday signed in July 2020. All of the players came through the academy before signing first-team deals. 

So what changed?

Part of it was the growth of the academy. It takes several years to begin producing players. Another major factor was the hiring of Luiz Muzzi on Dec. 18, 2019. Muzzi came from FC Dallas, a club known for promoting from its academy. He brought in Ricardo Moreira, who shares his vision of developing young talent for the first team.

And it’s not only Muzzi and Moreira. Former Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath rarely attended OCB games. James O’Connor only went to one, and that was to see his former teammate, Dennis Chin, who was playing with the opposing Richmond Kickers. The Orlando City boss left when Chin came off.

Oscar Pareja and other first-team coaches have been at several games, far more than their predecessors. That’s largely to do with the games’ location at the training facility, which is another factor in OCB’s development. The 2019 team trained over 40 miles away from the first team. The move to Kissimmee has the first team, OCB, and the development academy under one roof. It’s another display of the club’s more recent commitment to youth development.

Undoubtedly, the transformation of OCB under Muzzi and Moreira has also impacted Homegrown talent coming through. The team’s 2016 and 2017 rosters were primarily made up of first-team reserves and USL lifers. The 2019 team had many players from the Soccer Institute at Montverde Academy (SIMA), many of which were young but ineligible for Homegrown status.

Things began to change in 2020. The roster shifted to include more academy players and that’s only grown. This year, 15 OCB players came out of the academy, two were drafted, and eight are outside signings on MLS NEXT Pro deals. Other than Jhon Solis and first-team goalkeeper Carlos Mercado, everyone to appear for the team is 23 years old or younger.

The focus on giving OCB spots to academy graduates is now seen in the first team. Players like Thomas Williams, Javier Otero, Alex Freeman, Colin Guske, and Gustavo Caraballo have been regulars on the MLS team sheet. Injuries to first-team regulars has seen them receiving regular playing time.

The poster boy for this change is Freeman. The right back came out of the academy and spent a couple of years at OCB before signing his first-team contract. He won the starting role early in the 2025 regular season.

Many players joined the club later in their development, but we’re seeing some come through having been nearly fully developed at the Orlando City Academy. Guske and Caraballo joined at 13 years old, the youngest age group of the development academy. Both signed first-team deals for this year.

The midfield duo continue to play with OCB most games but are also on the first-team roster almost weekly. The only reason they weren’t in Montreal Saturday night is because they were helping the club’s U-18 team reach (and then win) the Generation Adidas Cup final.

With Muzzi and Moreira at the helm, more players continue to come through. U-18 captain and OCB starter Jackson Platts appears to be well on his way to a first-team contract. So does fellow U-18 and OCB starting forward Justin Ellis.

This past weekend saw another academy product make his first-team debut. Zakaria Taifi took over at right back for OCB when Freeman moved up to the first team this year. Signing a short-term deal Saturday, he came on as a late substitute to help the 10-man Lions see out the scoreless draw.

First-team absences have provided opportunities for many young players. If several weren’t at the Generation Adidas Cup, it could be more. Regardless, the last few years have shown a big step forward for the club.

The shift in recent years is more than the pride of seeing local kids representing the hometown team. They’ve been an essential part of the 2025 campaign. The club hasn’t had to use a short bench or dip into outside emergency signings. Instead, the Lions call up kids they know, making it easier to seamlessly place them into the team.

There will be times where several injuries will occur to experienced players. Orlando City is prepared for this more now than ever before, and it’s because of the players coming through the academy and playing with OCB. We’re already seeing it early in this 2025 season.

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